Unnecessary morbidity and mortality is an important problem which leads to increased health-care costs and can ultimately result in premature death. It has been estimated that approximately two thirds of mortality is due to potentially preventable causes - 1.2 million deaths (65%) and 8.4 million years of life lost before age 65 (63%). Principal factors associated with unnecessary morbidity and mortality include tobacco use, high blood pressure, improper nutrition, lack of screening and prevention services, alcohol abuse, and injury. This project uses longitudinal data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) and other studies such as the Johns Hopkins' Nursing Home Study to examine the influence of modifiable risk factors on the occurrence of premature deaths and unnecessary morbidity and disability. Results from a study of newly admitted nursing home residents indicates that individuals with diagnoses of mental illness and other characteristics related to physical and mental function were found to be associated with greater use of physical restraints. These trends were true in nursing homes characterized by both high and low restraint use. Other predictors of the use of physical restraints include wandering, inability to dress, symptoms of depression, and the severity of cognitive impairment. Information from this study can have an impact on the training of nursing home staff to provide the best practices of managing nursing home residents' problems with the hope of improving the quality of care and living in a nursing home.